The traditional image of a childminder is changing. More of them are making it a career of choice rather than seeing it as a stop-gap job which fits in with their own childcare commitments. Today's childminder is more likely to see themselves as equal to any other childcare professional, the only difference being that they are self-employed and deliver their service within their own home.

Jane Comeau from Tonbridge Wells in Kent has been a registered childminder for nearly two decades. During that time she has cared for more than 50 children and currently has 19 on her books – most of them part time – aged between 15 months and 10 years. While she had no professional childcare qualifications when she started, she now has a BA in early years and has become one of the few childminders to have professional status.

She says: "I love working with children and being my own boss; being there for others and also helping with the upbringing of the child and working with the family." But Comeau, like 85% of other childminders, is concerned that the professional status she has worked so hard to acquire over the years could be swept away by government plans to change the way that childminders are regulated.

At the moment every childminder in England has to be registered and inspected by Ofsted – the same independent organisation that regulates all other early years and childcare providers. But the government is considering changing the system so that in the future childminders will be managed and supported by individual agencies instead. The childminder's agency, rather than the individual childminder, would be inspected by Ofsted, which would also inspect a sample of childminders registered with the agency. Under the current system, every childminder registered with Ofsted has to be inspected and regulated by the organisation – a system the government says is unsustainable and unaffordable in the current climate.

Comeau says: "Being regulated by Ofsted shows that we are able to demonstrate our professionalism to parents and also gives them a bit more confidence [about us]. But I think it also means that other professionals in other child care settings look at us as equals because we are all being inspected by the same inspectors."

The results of a survey by the National Childminding Association (NCMA) reflect her worries. Some 85% agreed that Ofsted inspection and regulation reassured parents that childminders are professionals delivering a good quality service to children.

Under the current Ofsted system childminders have to provide evidence that they are delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – the national learning, development and care standards to be met by professionals working with the under-fives. Having to prove that they are meeting EYFS standards confirms that they are delivering high quality learning and development experiences within their home environment, according to 80% of the childminders questioned by the NCMA.

"What I am concerned about is the integrity of the workforce if it is only the agency that is being inspected," says Comeau. "The agency will make themselves look fantastic so that parents come to them, and what is likely to happen is that the number of providers will go up while the quality of childcare will go down."

According to NCMA the current system works and does not need reforming . It says 70% of registered childminders have a good or outstanding Ofsted rating.

Liz Bayram, joint chief executive of the NCMA, says the profession has seen significant changes in recent years. People coming in are staying to make it a full-time career, and offering the EYFS has helped enhance their professional reputation. She says: "It illustrates that childminders are not just offering cuddles and care but are giving children quality early years opportunities. The profession is also attracting qualified teachers who see childminding as a business where they can work flexibly and use their knowledge and skills."

The NCMA is concerned that stepping away from individual Ofsted inspection threatens childminders' professional status. The idea of moving towards a more light-touch regulatory system, it says, also seems out of step with the government's other plans, being considered by the Nutbrown review of early education and childcare qualifications, to raise the entry level requirements of all professionals working with children in early years. An interim report has recently been published and the full recommendations are expected this summer.